Looking for employment; writing about Prince George's County, Maryland. Politics, Places and People

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An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

Monday, September 21, 2009

At a meeting of the Prince George’s County Council on Tuesday September 15 2009, a small section of county history and more importantly the county’s ecosystem was saved for a while more. With all evidence pointing towards a decision to pave over acres of open space in the rural tier, the county council bravely reversed course and voted to save Woodland and parcels destined to become a shopping center called Crain’s Corner.

Now having passed this test, it is time to think about the land and its owners. How can they be compensated while protecting the environment and the history? Preservation is about more than just doing nothing with the land. The property owners have an economic burden incurred in the maintenance and defense of their large parcels against invasive species for example, and no one is expecting them to personally finance a public open space. One idea would be for the county agricultural marketing office to begin working on creative uses for what was once product farmland. Another would be to consider sustainable “green” residences as permitted by current zoning as a show place for what this county could do with 21st century designs sympathetic to the history and the environment of the area.

This said I want to take the public opportunity to thank my Councilman Samuel Dean, as well as others on the council. Mr. Dean, who has a commendable history of listening to communities first, for his work and vote that saved a piece of Prince George’s County for a better day. With his help and his vision to include communities in design and development from the beginning, we can boldly seize the moment and be an example to the rest of Maryland.

Monday, September 07, 2009

I presented my “sure to lose” political platform (Prince George's County candidate platform guaranteed to lose an election) a few weeks ago. Writing about how to lose an election for county executive in Prince George’s County, besides running as a Republican, I offered up a detailed agenda. On further reflection, I find that I need to add a plank devoted to county health care.

With 80,000 uninsured adult residents who are without adequate preventative medical options putting a strain on the hospital system and a scarcity of primary care physicians making it hard for communities to get care outside of the emergency room, I would include the following “sure way to lose” plank in my platform:

NEW: I shall work to provide the resources necessary to establish ambulatory health and care services. Prince George’s County shall find a way to provide a medical health care safety net. To this end, as county executive, I will expand and strengthen existing safety-net capacity (exploring both private and public options), invest in new health and medical infrastructure, work to increase assistance in the enrollment of entitled citizens into Medicaid programs, and actively pursue regional partnerships. The county cannot continue to grow at the expense of those with lesser economic means.